169th Fighter Wing > About Us

Benefits

General benefits of serving

Base Privileges
As an Air National Guard member you will be entitled to certain privileges at all Active Duty Air Force Bases. For example, base exchange privileges and commissary privileges.

References:
http://www.aafes.com
http://www.commissaries.com

Experience
After you complete Technical Training school your training will continue through upgrade training and in-service training. This will ensure that you have the most advanced training in your career field. You will also be given the opportunity to apply that training in a working environment. Giving you the hands on experience you will need to be a success in the Illinois Air National Guard and in the civilian community. You will also be given management training. That's right! The Illinois Air National Guard will also provide you with management training through the Professional Military Education Program. This training will help you to assume future management positions in the Guard as well as in the civilian community.

Free Travel
Space Available flights are available to traditional Guard members within the Continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. Active Duty Guard members are able to travel worldwide.

G.I. Bill
The G.I. Bill is available to Guard members enlisting for six years. GI Bill money comes directly to you to use for school expense.

Reference:
www.gibill.va.gov

Guard Pay
Air National Guard members get four days pay for each drill weekend and 15 days annual training pay. Plus, while you are attending basic military training and technical training you will receive a monthly salary. Depending on your pay grade at time of enlistment you could receive anywhere from $887.00 to $1100 a month while in training.

Reference:
Military Pay Charts

Life Insurance
The Servicemen's Group Life Insurance is available for Guard members at a rate of $17.00 per month for $200,000 worth of coverage. This covers you 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Retirement
Members qualify for retirement after completing 20 good years of military service. Retirement pay begins at age 60.

Training
All of your training is free through the Air National Guard and we will pay you while you learn. The training you receive is comparable to the training you can receive in civilian colleges and vocational technical schools. Plus college credits hours are awarded upon completion of the training.

Reference:
Benefits of serving in the ANG

Uniforms
Complete military wardrobe including shoes, boots, jacket, all weather coat, hats, and caps. Everything is replaced free upon return with normal wear and tear.

What are my benefits as a National Guardsman?

For information on the benefits of being an Air Guardsman, visit the Air Reserve Personnel Center web site.

Contacting Military Members

The Air Force World Wide Locator offered by the Air Force Personnel Center (AFPC) handles official and unofficial requests to locate Air Force Personnel. Official requests are defined as requests received from any government agency and the Department of Defense (DoD). All other requests are considered unofficial in nature.

The Air Force World Wide Locator only has location information on individuals who are currently receiving compensation from the USAF (Active Duty, Guard, Reserve, Retired, and Civil Service Personnel). If the individual has separated from the Air Force, no information is available. To obtain or find out more information about the service, you can contact AFPC at:

HQ AFPC/DPDXIDL
550 C Street West
Randolph AFB TX 78150-4752
Phone: DSN: 665-2334
Commercial (210) 565-2334
Customer Service Hours:
Monday - Friday (except Federal Holidays)
7:30 AM - 4:30 PM (Central Standard Time)
e-mail: afpc.pa.task@us.af.mil

If you need to contact a military member for emergency purposes, call your local Red Cross chapter, click on "Your local Red Cross" and enter your zip code.

Doing Business with the Air National Guard

Under the Federal Acquisition Regulations, any contracting opportunities/projects the National Guard undertakes are solicited via normal contracting procedures, including approval from the Acquisition Planning Board.

To find out about contracting opportunities with the National Guard, log on to the Government Publishing Office web site. All solicitations on behalf of the Guard can be found on that site.

Joining the Air National Guard

How do I find out about military vacancies in the Air National Guard?

Vacancies at the State level are advertised by each state. Visit the Air National Guard Locations page for a listing of state websites. Questions regarding state websites should be directed to that state.

Vacancies can be found in the Careers section of the Air National Guard's recruiter website at https://www.goang.com/careers/find-your-career.

Military vacancies for offices servicing the Director of the Air National Guard and State militia can be found in the Careers section of this website.

How do I join the Air National Guard?

The first step in joining the Air National Guard is to talk to a Recruiter. You can do that through the Air National Guard website. https://www.airforce.com/how-to-join/join-the-air-national-guard

What will be expected of me at basic training?

For information on basic military training, visit the U.S. Air Force Basic Training website. https://www.basictraining.af.mil/

Obtaining Military Records

Individual military departments, including the Air Force, do not maintain files or records pertaining to individuals no longer on active duty. When an individual is separated from military service (because of retirement, discharge from active duty or death), his/her Field Personnel File (containing all military and health records) is forwarded for storage to the National Personnel Records Center (Military). The Records Center is under the jurisdiction of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) of the United States Government.

An individual's complete service record is available to the former service member or, if deceased, to his/her next of kin (parents, spouse or children). Limited information (such as dates of service, awards, and training) is available to anyone. Not available to the general public is information which would invade an individual's privacy; for example, medical records, Social Security number or present address.

If requesting the records of a relative, a requester should mention the relationship to the former member (brother, uncle, or other). There is no charge for this service to former service members or their next of kin. For others, a nominal fee is charged for research and reproduction costs. Files at the Records Center are maintained as historical records only and are not updated to reflect current data on the former service member. The address for the National Personnel Records Center is:

National Personnel Records Center
1 Archives Drive
St. Louis MO 63138
Phone: 314-801-0800 or 1-866-272-6272 (1-86-NARA-NARA) For individuals compiling family histories, NARA provides assistance to those interested in genealogy. NARA normally charges a nominal fee for research and reproduction costs. Their address is:

National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
700 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20408
202-501-5400

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